With certain respiratory disorders, such as emphysema, asthma, cystic fibrosis, and chronic bronchitis, mucous and other secretions build up to excessive levels in the bronchial passages of the victim's lungs. It is desirable, and sometimes essential, that this excess secretion be substantially removed from the lungs to enable the affected person to breathe more easily.
One method of treating such persons involves tapping forcefully the chest and shoulders of the affected person to loosen the accumulated secretion. The person applying such treatment requires special training in order to be able to apply the appropriate amount of pressure and frequency of tapping. Sometimes such manual treatment is carried out with the patient lying on a table that is tilted upward from the foot area to raise the patient's feet above the level of his head thereby enhancing the flow of loosened secretion from the patient's lungs to his throat area where it can be expelled by clearing of the throat.
It is also known to employ hand held devices that vibrate to apply vibration to appropriate areas of the patient's chest. One such hand held device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,733.
It is also known to treat such patients by employing a table that tilts upward from the foot area thereof and employing means which imparts vibration to the entire table top. Such a device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,154.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a postural drainage bed that is simple in construction and operation, and is of an enhanced efficacy in treating patients with excessive secretion accumulation in their lungs.
Other objects will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the postural drainage bed of the present invention.